Singapore is ageing. Almost 12 per cent of Singapore residents are now aged 65 years and over. According to the 2013 Population White Paper, the number of people in this age group is set to triple by 2030. This will have wide implications for our society and social supports.

On 11 January 2011 the Parliament of Singapore passed the Retirement Age (Amendment) Bill. Once the Bill comes into force the current Retirement Age Act (Cap 274A) will be renamed the Retirement and Re-employment Age Act (the ‘Act’). In addition to reflecting the wider scope of the amended Act, the new title also alludes to the primary aim behind the amendment, which as explained by Mr Gan Kim Yong during the Second Reading is to enhance ‘financial security in old age’ and to allow Singapore’s a